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Whether you are an employer, a manufacturer or a supplier, you need to gather as much information as you can on all the substances that you deal with to establish a register of all the hazardous substances used in your workplace.

You then need to ensure you have the necessary information about the substances to enable you to identify whether they are hazardous, carcinogenic or even prohibited.

Material Safety Data Sheets?(MSDS) are the main source of information regarding a substance. They contain information about what the product contains, potential health hazards, first aid treatment, precautions for use, safe handling information and an Australian contact point.

Manufacturers or importing suppliers’ labels also provides useful information. Labels of hazardous substances contain warnings, information on the ingredients, risk and safety information and contact details.

You can also refer to the Hazardous Substances Information System internet resource to identify hazardous substances generated from non-hazardous substances and to check whether ingredients contained in a substance are hazardous.

Employers are also required to ensure that employees are not exposed to airborne contaminants at dangerous levels and should refer to a substance’s MSDS and the National Exposure Standards for more information.

Ongoing health surveillance and atmospheric monitoring will enable you to identify the presence of any health risks resulting from your use of hazardous substances.